The Flickr Ringedplanet Image Generatr

John Pederson was a talented artist known for his contributions to science fiction and fantasy illustration during the mid-20th century. His work often captured the imagination of readers with themes of space exploration, futuristic technology, and otherworldly landscapes. The cover on this issue of F&SF is a great example of his style. It features a striking rocket ship on an icy, barren landscape, with astronauts and a ringed planet in the background—perfectly embodying the era's fascination with space and the unknown. It might even be a supply ship on an icy moon of Saturn.

Unfortunately, detailed biographical information about Pederson is scarce, as he wasn't as widely documented as some of his contemporaries. However, his artwork remains a testament to his creativity and the spirit of science fiction during that time.

"TITAN LANDER"

And the rest is what’s on the verso of the black & white version of the photo, along with what I dug up when I posted it in 2020.


"Saturn has a remarkable earth-like moon named Titan, which has a heavy atmosphere. Scientists would like to land a Viking-type package there in the late 1980s."

A beautiful & dynamic depiction by JPL artist Ken Hodges.

Possibly/Apparently part of JPL’s “Purple Pigeon” effort.

Epilog:

Pathetically, as has been the case with many other formerly semi-useful & moderately informative NASA sites, particularly those that hosted imagery/photos, JPL head-shed would appear to have quaffed the Koolaid as well.
The following is what's still available, as of 21 March 2024 at the following site, which is "No Longer Maintained". As such, also no longer with an image that was a probable companion to mine:

www.jpl.nasa.gov/blog/tag/ken-hodges/

“Titan Saturn Mission Artwork, 1976
By Julie Cooper

In the 1970s and 80s, before advanced computer graphics, artist Ken Hodges was hired by JPL to create paintings that depicted many different missions – some in the planning stages and some only imagined.

Bruce Murray became JPL's Director in 1976, and he advocated new missions (Purple Pigeons) that would have enough pizzazz to attract public and scientific support. Hodges painted many of the Purple Pigeon images, including this scene of a Saturn orbiter with a lander going to the surface of Saturn's largest moon Titan. This artwork was done almost 30 years before Cassini's Huygens Probe reached the surface of Titan. Cassini was launched in 1997 and spent seven years traveling to Saturn. The probe was released in December 2004, and landed on Titan on January 14, 2005.

For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival and other sources: P-numbered photo albums and indexes, Cassini and Huygens web pages.]

Julie Cooper

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Cooper, Certified Archivist

Julie Cooper is a certified archivist who identifies and processes collections for the JPL Archives, and helps researchers find information about the history of JPL.”

Buh-bye. Ain't that right NAssA...and now, JPL…whoevers?
Sad, disappointing & pathetic...as has become the norm for photographic documentation, archiving & preservation…at least WRT what’s available/presented to the public, i.e. the taxpayers.

Alex Schomburg, born Alejandro Schomburg y Rosa on May 10, 1905, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, was a prolific commercial artist and comic-book illustrator whose career spanned over 70 years. He moved to New York City in 1917, where he joined his older brothers and attended public school. In 1923, Schomburg began working as a commercial artist with his brothers, creating advertisements for companies such as General Electric and Sanka Coffee. By the 1930s, he was freelancing for Better Publications, producing interior line art for pulp magazines like “Thrilling Wonder Stories” and illustrating aviation covers for “Flying Aces.” His first science fiction-themed cover was for the September 1939 issue of “Startling Stories.”

During the 1940s, Schomburg became a prominent cover artist for Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics, where he illustrated action-packed covers featuring superheroes like Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, and the Human Torch. His detailed and dynamic artwork earned him the reputation of being one of the best cover artists of the Golden Age of Comics. Schomburg's work extended beyond comics; he also created endpapers for the Winston Juvenile series in the 1950s, which became iconic in the science fiction genre. Throughout his career, Schomburg received numerous awards, including the Frank R. Paul Award in 1984 and a posthumous induction into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1999. He passed away on April 7, 1998, in Beaverton, Oregon.

[Sources: Bing.com, Wikipedia, KorshakCollection.com and AlexSchomburg.com]

Ford designed a future nuclear-powered car in 1957 called the Ford Nucleon that would go as far as 10,000 miles between refueling. One of a handful of such designs developed during the 1950s and 60s, the Ford Nucleon was demonstrated only as a scale model.

fordauthority.com/2020/02/1957-ford-nucleon-concept-aimed...

“Both the limb of Saturn and the shadow of its ring system are seen through the transparent C-ring in this striking picture taken by NASA's Voyager 1 on Nov. 9, 1980 at a distance of 4.5 million kilometers (3 million miles). Gaps and regions of high transparency are seen throughout the C-ring, especially in the area closest to the opaque B-ring. Shadows of the A-, B-, and C-rings are clearly visible on the disk of Saturn. The C-ring shadow showing the gaps described above is the uppermost shadow; below this is the very black shadow of the opaque B-ring, then the Cassini Division, and at the bottom, the shadow of the A-ring.”

The above & image per/at:

photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01374
Credit: JPL Photojournal website

I think…I think this is a Voyager 1 image of Ganymede…although I’ve been unable to find it anywhere. If so, based on the resolution in comparison to other Voyager 1 images, possibly taken from a distance of 2.5 - 3+ million miles, ca. March 4, 1979. Although, who knows, it might’ve been taken by Voyager 2.

I should probably just stick with “Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, as viewed by Voyager in 1979.”

"Jupiter’s Ring" by Ludek Pesek.

I've always loved his work.

Wonderful:

www.ludekpesek.ch/ludek_peseks_role_as_a_space_artist.php

And, with the image. What a gorgeous body of work:

www.ludekpesek.ch/noel_cramer_rings.php
Both above credit: LUDEK PESEK – SPACE ARTIST website

Featured on the dust jacket of “Solar System”, 1978, Peter Ryan & Ludek Pesek.

“PARSECS stands for "Program for Astronomical Research and Scientific Experiments Concerning Space". It was a major effort by Boeing starting from late 1957 to at least 1960, under the Model 854, 855 and 856 designations. Boeing envisioned, with input from prominent scientists and astronomers a complete manned and automatic space exploration program. The subject was covered in numerous reports and papers, one of which I've been able to locate and on which I base this brief post. In this paper at least, Boeing focused on the space segment of the program, composed by very advanced and complex structures, to be launched and assembled in orbit. The booster is not described but from a couple of hints it is assumed as something like the original Nova described by Rosen and Swenck in late 1959. Taxi from Earth to orbit is performed by a delta-winged glider, similar to the original Boeing proposal for Dyna Soar. As with the booster, the glider is taken as a given. PARSECS is organized around Missions, numbered from I to VIII, but this doesn't imply a chronological succession. The missions are:

- Mission I: Satellite Observatory
- Mission II: Moon Base
- Mission III: Counter Moon
- Mission IV: Interplanetary Probes - automatic
- Mission V: Close Solar Orbit - automatic
- Mission VI: Trojan Points Observatories
- Mission VII: Out-of-the-Elliptic
- Mission VIII: Planetary Explorations”

Above per a Jun 14, 2006 posting by user “Skybolt”, at the SECRET PROJECTS Forum website (registration required to satisfactorily view…and frankly, highly recommended, regardless), at:

www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/parsecs-1960.7039/

Further, pertaining to the image itself:

“…Mission VIII covers manned exploration of the planets. Pictured is Model 856-6001, that is clearly a vehicle intended for Saturn exploration. The basic module is mated to a long truss with a nuclear reactor at the end and fuel tanks in the middle. The engine seems to be an ion-thruster, judging by the relative size of the tanks. A long trip time is assumed. The basic module hasn't provisions for artificial G, so that could be a problem. Boeing recognizes that these are long term projects and that the definitive design could well be very different. Nevertheless, all-in-all PARSECS was one of the first comprehensive space exploration proposals that looked to be feasible with reasonable time and efforts.
A final note: At the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, Boeing displayed lavishly illustrated panels as part of the “World Of Tomorrow” Pavilion/Exhibit, devoted to space exploration. I've never been able to find close-up photos of those displays, but it could well have been PARSECS, or a further evolution…

Source of the info and the images is: " An Interplanetary Exploratory Vehicle", a paper presented by Wellwood E.Beall, Senior Vice-President of Boeing - Seattle Division, at the SAE National Aeronautic Meeting, New York, April 5-8 1960. Paper is available via the SAE International website.”

Above per a Jun 21, 2009 posting by user “Skybolt”, at the SECRET PROJECTS Forum website, it being the same as linked to previously.

A wonderful & optimistic vision, back when Boeing was reputable & competent. And, as if where we are - AREN'T - (in space) isn't disappointing enough, reading the paper depressingly also makes me long for the way/style in which learned & articulate adults used to write, not the current rampant butchering of the English language, let alone the vile content.
And it’s only one of the endless indicators we’re imploding…precipitously. Sadly, deservedly as well. The “SELF-DESTRUCT” button has been pushed. The duration of the countdown is the only unknown.

Enough gloom & doom, back to what’s really important – the conscientious preservation of space exploration/space travel imagery - amidst all the impending carnage & ruin!!!
What a gorgeous work, by one of many brilliant Boeing artists over the years, in this instance, Robert Fetterly.
And, self-servingly, to punctuate its ‘oldness’, the verso bears the repeating letters/logo of "EKC". This Eastman Kodak Company backprint technique pre-dates the introduction of the vintage & coveted "A KODAK PAPER" watermarked photographic paper.
So, to put everything into proper perspective…end-of-the-world…sure, why not, bring it (upon ourselves). We’ve certainly earned it.
In the meantime, enjoy the view.

Contents: “Sirius Rampant” by Tom W. Wade; “Out of the Past” by Leslie V. Heald; “Worlds Without End” by Lionel Roberts (R. L. Fanthorpe); “The Legacy” by Jerome Strickland (Lionel Wright); “Heritage” by Law Wright (Lionel Wright).

Predates the "Badger Books" imprint, which was launched in May, 1954 and became one of the publisher's longest running series.

System: Irunok-Wons
Planet: Kuharonf Omega

Weather: Inert
Sentinels: Low Security
Flora: Undetected
Fauna: Devoid

Grass

Morning view

Hell is here

This street art of ringed planet can be found in downtown Orlando Florida.

part of an indoor display in Las Vegas. 1993
Flickr 21 Day Challenge, day 6, PLANET

In Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on March 7th, 2019, in an alley off the east side of 1st Street North, north of 1st Avenue North.

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Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names terms:
• Duval (county) (2000264)
• Jacksonville Beach (2019920)

Art & Architecture Thesaurus terms:
• airbrushing (300053405)
• mural paintings (visual works) (300033644)
• retaining walls (300005073)
• seascapes (300117546)
• stucco (300014966)

Wikidata items:
• 7 March 2019 (Q57349901)
• Jacksonville metropolitan area (Q6118061)
• March 7 (Q2394)
• March 2019 (Q31275158)
• North Florida (Q7055353)
• Northeast Florida (Q387785)

Library of Congress Subject Headings:
• Ocean waves in art (sh97000060)
• Planets in art (sh97000326)
• Rocks in art (sh85114776)
• Sea in art (sh85119221)
• Seaside architecture (sh85119371)

Crash Site

"Saturn From Within Its Rings" by Ludek Pesek.

I've always loved his work...in fact, I desperately wanted the August 1970 National Geographic, simply because of his contributions to that issue.
Capitalizing on this fact, my good friend, who's father had a subscription to the magazine, extorted a whopping $5 from me for it...in 1970...from a kid...a king's ransom at that time.

Wonderful:

www.ludekpesek.ch/ludek_peseks_role_as_a_space_artist.php